Sorry guys! Had to speed it up at the end. Spent too much time talking in the beginning lol! Should’ve also skipped the basics, since it’s a short. But anyway, here’s what I did:
Boil the water with plenty of salt, do the minimum time on the box for al dente (maybe a touch less since it finishes in the sauce). Preheat the pan to get it hot, this way the stainless steel WILL be nonstick. Add the EVOO (first, cold-pressed, if you can), but heat not too high since it has a low smoke point. Add the shallots (very underrated onion family member!) about 3 minutes. Then fresh garlic, red pepper flakes (I use plenty for a kick), and salt. Cook about 1 minute. Add tomato paste! One of the secrets to this; what’s great about it is you use the whole can, most recipes only call for 1-2 TBSP and the rest just sits in our fridge … but not this recipe! Plus it’s an umami bomb and gets the sauce nice and thick. Cook about 5-6 mins, then add 1/4 cup of the vodka! Deglaze it and scoop up the brown bits for about 1-2 mins. Then add 2/3 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water (another nice secret). After nice and creamy and mixed, add pasta, fresh parm, and about a table spoon of butter (another secret), some people scoff, but plenty of people use butter at the end, not only flavor,but gives the pasta a nice shine to it. Add salt to taste, and more pasta water. Finish plate with more parm (copious amount if you like! Haha). Enjoy!
